Keep In Touch

It’s been a minute since some genuine high-caliber Throwback Thursday material graced our front page, and we’re oh so happy to rectify the matter. Earlier today Tim Westwood uploaded a rare 2001 in-studio freestyle recording that features Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and Philly native son Last Emperor all catching wreck atop Erick Sermon‘s fantastic instrumental cut “Music” (sadly it sounds as if the Marvin Gaye howls have been chopped off of this one, though.

Queens NYC man Monch is all too happy to jump in first, spitting about orangutan slang and strong-arm gorillas, but shit really pops off once Talib Kweli takes over. “Like tae bo in a bowtie, I kick your ass with class / And I still take it to Brooklyn when I’m ready to splash / Me and Hi-Tek got you ready to blast / I’m ever-ready to last / I stay hungry like I’m ready to fast / Married to the movement like I’m Betty Shabazz” …Honestly, are you not entertained?

It’s amazing enough to hear these three men do their thing all in the same room (don’t worry, Emperor absolutely tears it up as well), but really, like all great throwbacks, the timing is everything. Today, Monch and Kweli are working together to keep Indie 500 going strong, and it’s clear now it’s all about this kind of groundwork the two laid 15 years ago, one bar at at time. Listen to it below.